Football can be an exhausting business, a sport that carries as many reasons to hate as to love it. But then something like this comes along, a perfect shot from a perfect angle of a perfect pass, and the rest of it just melts away for a little while.
James Dart
(@James_Dart)What are the best camera angles of specific passes or goals? e.g. this beauty pic.twitter.com/D6jjRNpkT0
The perfect camera angle can certainly enhance a moment of brilliance, to give a moment we’ve all seen a thousand times something extra. Take John McGinn’s goal for Aston Villa against Sheffield Wednesday earlier this season: it would have been pretty special if the only surviving record was via a bad courtroom artist, but this angle, perfectly capturing the power, technique and fade, makes it even more special. See also this shot of Benjamin Pavard’s goal against Argentina, Cuco Martina’s physics-defier against Arsenal and naturally there are plenty of that Roberto Carlos free-kick.
What about this one of Georghe Hagi’s strike from downtown for Romania against Colombia in the 1994 World Cup? The angle from behind of Michael Essien’s thriker against Arsenal is especially enjoyable for one kid in the crowd flinching, convinced the ball was going to hit him, before it swerved round a corner and into the net. And on that theme, enjoy Ibrahima Sissoko’s effort for Monaco from this season. Or indeed Phil Coutinho versus Switzerland at the World Cup.
Football on BT Sport
(@btsportfootball)Another night to forget for Thierry Henry. 🙈
Ibrahima Sissoko helped consign Monaco to defeat with a sublime curler. 🔥
Perfect camera angle too. 😍 pic.twitter.com/bcs3XiL7ae
Cameras seem to follow Tom Huddlestone’s best moments around perfectly, but a favourite is watching this one zoot through Rafa van der Vaart’s legs. Gio van Bronckhorst caught this one against Uruguay real nice, and so did the camera operator.
The low angle shot of Ronaldinho’s debut strike for Barcelona captures the broiling excitement splendidly. This one of Aaron Ramsey scoring against Galatasaray is special not just because it catches the strike delightfully, but also Wojciech Szczęsny’s reaction to it. The reverse angle of Josimar in 1986 is always worth watching. Can a good angle enhance a penalty? You bet it can.
And then, much like the angle that inspired this whole thing, there are the passes. This one picks out the brilliance of Éver Banega’s ball to Leo Messi in Russia this past summer. And then Daley Blind’s ping on to Robin van Persie’s head four years earlier, not forgetting the long, lingering shot of José Luis Sierra setting up Marcelo Salas against England in 1998.
(@SamJDean)This Banega pass gets me every time pic.twitter.com/ovzz7ZusUt
(@desmith19)Got to be up there pic.twitter.com/Hy9AJDL6vk
(@FootballCliches)A favourite: pic.twitter.com/CLmmG4mVcR
And finally, let’s return to a goal, and the most perfect angle from one of the most perfect moments in World Cup history: gol di Grosso.
Which ones have we missed? Leave your suggestions in the comments below.